Theft-proof stamp-affixing machine.



L. G. H. PALMER.

THEFT PROOF STAMP AFFIXING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25.19!!- Patented Oct. 12,1915.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. G/H. PALMER.

THEFT PROOF STAMP AFFIXING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25. 1911.

1,156,308. Patented Oct.12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/ 77VESSES. F1 5 UNITED srarns reruns orrrcn LIONEL G. H. PALMER, or ROSLINDALE, MAsSAcHuSETTS, ASSIGNOR To STAMPAFIX COMPANY, Inc, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A coRPoRATIoN'or MASSACHUSETTS.

THEFT-PROOF STAMP-AFFIX-ING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Application filed February 25, 1911. "Serial No. 610,822.

To all whom it may concern: )7

Be it known that I, Lio'NnL G. H. PALMER, of Roslindal'e, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain neiv and useful Improvements in Theft- Proof Stamp r-affixing Machines, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stamp-affixing machines, and more particularly to improvements in machines of the type in which stamps are fed from a roll, moistened, sevcred from the Strip and pressed into engagement with an envelop or article to Which they are to be affixed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a machine from Which it Will be impossible to extract stamps eXcept singly, after they have been moistened and duly ailiiiedtothe envelop or other article, then only after having been duly recorded. A machine of this character is of the greatest value in olfices from which any considerable amount of mail matter is sent out as it prevents the prevalent use of stamps for private mail or outside sale by unauthorized persons.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine in Which the feeding of the stamps shall be controlled by the perforations regardless of their location so that each stamp moved to afiixing position shall be severed at the line of the perforations. This feature is of great importance in handling stamps in strips or rolls as there is a .considerable variation in the length of different postage stamps and much irregularity in the Width of the margin between the border of the stamp and the perforations. There is, moreover, an irregularity in the spacing of the stamps as 110W supplied in rolls resulting from the fact, that the rolls are composed of a number of short strips pasted end to end It will be apparent that a machine having a feeding. movement of uniform extent is unsuited for handling such stamps as, after the first irregularity in the spacing has been reached, the succeeding stamps would be mutilated by being severed on a line not coincident Withthe perforations. V

With the above ends in view, important features of the invention consist in a novel arrangement of the casing of the machine in respect to its "connection With the base plate and also in respect to the aflixing anvil whereon the affixing operation takes place; in "a novel arresting device for the stamp strip and its combination with strip feeding mechanism; and in the provision of mechanism, in combination With an afliXing lever, to prevent its return to normal position before it has, completed its full stroke for affixing a Stamp. Other important features consist in a novel form of recording mechanism for registering the number, of stamps used and in an automatically acting stop device for locking the aflixing lever when, a predetermined number of stamps have been used and recorded.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved Strip-feeding mechanism whereby strips of sheet material, such as the stamp strip, may be fed in a novel manner. The invention also includes Within its scope the method herein disclosed Which consists in bending or curving the Strip transversely and advancing it in such curved condition. By curving the stamp strip so as to concave the 'gummed surface the danger of sticking in the guideWay is obviated. This expedient also renders the feeding operations more precise in that it prevents the strip from wrinkling as it is advanced by stiffening it in cross section.

Other features of the invention relate to the novel construction and arrangement of the moistening device and the mechanism whereby the latter is actuated. also to the ell and to means whereby the stamp rO-ll is kept from becoming accidentallywvetted. As herein shown the moistening device comprises an oscillating arm carrying a Wick, the arm being arranged to move the wick intofengagement with theg'ummed surface of the endinost stamp in the strip at the beginning of thefeedingmovement so that substantially the entire length of the stamp is drawn across the moistened Wick as the stamp is presented to aflixingposition. The Wick is also retained in a novel manner by the end of. the Wick arm,

Still other features of the invention con- 7 sist in the novel construction .of the guide- Way or chute for the stamp strip and the feeding mechanism whereby the strip is advanced 'through thechute. As herein shown, the chute built up of a number of plates stamped out of sheet material and bent into suitable form, while the strip is advanced by a roller actuated by the movement of the ailixing lever, the strip being yieldingly pressed into engagement therewith. by a second oppositely disposed roller.

The features above enumerated and others incident to the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the machine with the casing removed. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation with the door removed and part of the casing broken away. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of part of the casing and the door. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the arresting device, showing also part of the stamp strip. Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the chute or guideway for the stamp strip. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the aiiixing lever and the mechanism for preventing its return before the end of a complete stroke. Fig. 7 shows the locking mechanism for the afiixing lever controlled by the recording device. Fig. 8 is a detail of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detail of the wick arm.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the machine it will be convenient to refer briefly to the various elements thereof and state their general organization and the manner in which they cooperate.

The entire machine is incased leaving only a narrow opening through which the envelop may be inserted upon the yielding support or anvil 82. A roll of stamps is supported upon a horizontal spindle 16 and fed through a guideway 32 leading to the anvil by the feed rollers 51 and 52. The lower feed roller 51 is rotated when the affixing lever 50 is depressed by means of a pawl and ratchet mechanism mounted on the shaft 55 and simultaneously the indica tor disk 98 is moved to record one stamp by the worm 57 on the ratchet shaft. Normally movement of the stamp strip is prevented by a toothed arresting device 66 pivotally supported on a transverse stud and maintained in engagement with the strip by the hooked lug 7 5 projecting from the affixing lever 50 and acting through the arm 73. l Vhen the affixing lever is depressed a spring 7 6 is permitted to move the arresting de-' vice momentarily into an inoperative position and at the same time the wick 72 is lifted from the well and held in contact with the gummed side of the endmost stamp as it is moved, in a transversely bowed condition, from the end of the chute to a position over the envelop on the anvil 82. On the continued downward movement of the afiixing lever the moistened stamp is severed from the strip by the blade 83 on the atlixing lever cooperating with a stationary blade 84: formed at the delivery end of the chute, and pressed upon the envelop.

The extent of the rotation imparted to the feed roller 51 is lightly more than required to move the strip an amount equal to the longest stamp it is likely to encounter. The pins of the arresting device, however, are returned to operative position by the rod 101 mounted on the affixing lever during the feeding movement of the strip and are in readiness to drop into the perforations and arrest the strip when one stamp has been moved past this point, the feed roller slip Din slightl on the stria at the con- L to c: i

clusion of each feeding movement while the strip is held by the arresting device.

The strip is yieldingly and frictionally engaged by the feed rollers 51 and 52, the arrangement being such that the tractive force which the rollers exert upon the strip can never exceed the tensile strength of the strip. This construction insures the slipping of the feed rollers on the strip rather than breaking the strip in case of a sudden blow on the affixing lever or other improper nanipulation thereof.

It will be noted that each time a stamp is affixed the wick 72 is lifted from the water in the well and then returned thereto. This continual sousing of the wick while the ma chine is being used serves to dissolve all gum from the wick and prevent gumming thereof.

The various parts above mentioned, andother elements incidental to the machine and comprising additional features of the invention will now be described in detail.

The parts of the machine are mounted upon or formed with a base plate 2 and, with the exception of part of the affixing lever 50 are inclosed by a detachable casing 4:. The casing has in one end a recess in which is fitted a removable door 6 having a rigid pin 8 projecting from its lower edge into a recess in the base plate and near its upper edge the door is provided with a second pin which engages in the upper part of the casing. The door is also provided with a lock 9 which prevents its removal from the casing. At suitable points on the base plate projecting lugs 10 are provided which engage the inner surface of the casing and prevent its movement on the base plate. It will be seen that it is impossible to remove the casing from the base plate without unlocking and removing the door 6 so that the contents of the machine can not be tampered withexcept by the person holding the key. Additional holding screws may be inserted at suitable points through the easing into the base plate in order to hold the casing rigidly but as already intimated,

head 18 threaded into a socket in the end of the spindle and having a transverse pin 20 proiecting 'rom it. A second pin 21 projects through the spindle 16 at a different angle from the pin 20. The outer ends of the pins are bent slightly in opposite directions, the pins and spindle constituting a holder or reel in which the roll or" stamps is loosely retained. it. new roll stamps may be put in place by unscrewingthe head 18 carrying the pin 20 whereupon the roll may be'slipped on the end of the spindle and the head replaced.

Cast integrally in the base plate near its front edge is a well 52% for holding the water to moisten the stamps as they are fed to the afiixine devices. To prevent the possibility of water spilled from the well from reaching the stamp r ll there is provided an upstanding integral rib 26 on the base plate which forms in effect a dam surrounding the space under the holder or roll. In the front wall of the well, which is flush with the casing 4, there is provided a passage 28 through which the well may be refilled whenthis becomes necessary. An overflow passage 80 is provided inthe same wall at a point below the upper edge of the wellfso that any excess water injected through the passage 28 will flow out through the passage 30 instead of reaching the interior of the machine.

The strip of stamps passes from the reel or holder to a chute or guideway 32 which conducts them across the well to the aflixing devices. The chute is built up of several sheet metal stampings, as shown in Fig. 5, and comprises a bottom plate 34 having turned over ribs 36 at its edges, a stripper plate -l0, the well cover plate a2 and upper plate a. The distance between the ribs 36 of the bottom plate at the rear end of the chute is suilicient to receive the strip of stamps loosely and this width is maintained up to the aperture 38 through which the feeding roll acts on the strip. At the forward side of the aperture 38 the distance between the ribs 36 is gradually decreased to somewhat less than the width of the stamp strip and the upper plate 44- is bowed upwardly. as the strip is moved into this part of the chute it is bowed or curved transversely and fed from the forward end of the chute in this condition.

The stripper plate l0 is soldered or otherwise attached to the bottom plate in spaced relation therewith at the rear of the aperture 38 for the lower feed roll and both the the wicl* moves.

bottom plate and the stripper plate 40 are aperture'd to permit the passage of the pins or teeth &6 of an arresting device, to be more particularly described hereinafter. At the forward side of the feed aperture 38 the well cover plate 42 is attached to the bottom plate and forms a support for the chute. This plate extends vertically from the chute to the upper edge otthe well where it is pro vided with a laterally extending portion which covers the well. This portion is apertured to permit the passage of the moistening wick, and at its front end is bent upwardly extending to the bottom of the chute adjacent to the delivery end. It

will be seen that the two vertical ortions' of the plate -l2 act as shields between which The part out from the plate -l2 is bent downwardly forming an apronwhich extends into the well and serves to prevent the water from leaking out be tween the well and the bottom of the shields.

The stamp trip is advanced intermittently while the aflixing lever 50 is being depressed by a positively driven feed roller 51 projecting slightly into the chute through the opening 38. The strip is, yieldingly engaged between the roller 51 and a second roller 52 which is drawn against the pe riphery ofthe driven roller by springs 53. Both rollers are journaled in the standard 5% cast with the base plate and the shaft 55 of the driven roller is extended transversely across the machine and has rigidly secured thereto a ratchet wheel 56 and a worm 57. Loosely journaled upon the shaft 55 is an arm carrying a pawl 58 which is arranged to rotate the ratchet wheel 56 one toothat a time under the actuation of'the aflixing lever. As herein shown, the pawl arm is oscillated by a link 59 pivotally connected to the lower end of an arm 60 loosely jourthe path of a pin 62 projecting from the affixing lever 50. When the aflixing lever is depressed the arm 60 is swung toward the rear against the tension of the spring 64: and the roller 51 is given a circumferential movement slightly greater than the length of the stamps in the strip.

Normally the strip is held against movement by the teeth l6 of an arresting device comprising an arm 66 pivotally mounted upon a standard 67 and having an s-shaped end, as well shown in Figs. 2 and l. The teeth or pins extend loosely through holes in the two lower bends of the S-shaped end and are prevented from being ejected by the upper bend which extends over the heads of the teeth. The pins are spaced somewhat irregularly in order that one or more may surely find the perforations between sucstrip has been -moved sufficiently .and incidentally the arresting device.

In its normal position the arm 66 holds the pins with tieir lower ends supported by, or riding on the stamp strip, the heads of the pins having suflicient play between the two upper bends of the Sshaped portion to permit those pins which register with a perforation to drop into the same as the strip is fed under the arresting device. The arresting device is held in its lower or operative position by the wick arm which normally rests upon it. The arresting device is elevated to disengage the perforations, when the wick arm is lifted, by a spring 4:5 which extends between the wick arm and the arresting device. Immediately after the to carry the perforations clear of the arresting device the latter is returned to operative position the affixing lever acting through a rod 101 yieldingly mounted in a boss formed on one side. The lower end of the rod 101 is arranged to engage the S-shaped end of the arresting device and force it toward the stamp strip after the affixing lever has been moved through a portion of its stroke. However, 7 efore the rod 101 engages the arresting device the strip has been moved sufficiently to carry the perforations beyond the range of the pins 46.

The foremost stamp in the strip is moistened its whole length as it is passed over the well by the wick 72 retained by the forward end of the wick arm 73. The latter is pivotally mounted on the standard 67 above the arresting device and is provided with a rearward extension having a transversely extending end 74: which stands in the path of hook-shaped lug 75 on the afiixing lever 50. Normally the wick arm 73 is positively depressed against the tension of a spring 76 by the engagement of the lug '75 with the end 7% but when the aiiixing lever is operated the lug 75 moves downwardly and permits the spring 76, shown in Fig. 1, to elevate the wick arm The end of the wick arm is shaped in a novel manner to retain the wick, having two parallel slots cut therein forming three sections which are bent alternately in opposite directions, as clearly shown in Fig. 9. The wick is drawn between the oppositely bent sections and retained in position being yieldingly engaged by them. As will be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 5 the wick is arranged to dip into the well at through an aperture in the well cover plate 42 and is raised and lowered. between the two vertical portions of this plate.

The affixing lever is pivotally mounted on a stud 77 set in the standard 14 and is normally held in its elevated position by a spring 78 extending between a rearwardly projecting lug on the lever and the base plate. The upward movement of the affix ing lever is limited by a stop lug 7 9 located below the stud 77 and arranged to engage the rear side of the standard 14. At its forward end the lever 50 is provided with a convenient handle which projects upwardly without the casing and with a yielding pad 80 for pressing the stamps onto the envelop which rests on the anvil 82. The aflixing lever also carries a blade 83 which c Eperates with a stationary blade 84 formed at the delivery end of the chute, the two blades acting to sever the endmost stamp on the line of perforations when the stamp has been advanced to affixing position.

In the severing operation the gummed .ide of the stamp strip is forced against the lower blade but will not adhere thereto by reason of its bowed cross section, or if it should adhere momentarily the resilience of the strip will be sufficient to cause it to spring away from the lower blade as soon as the gummed surface has become dried.

The anvil 82 is located in the path of the pad 80 and comprises a plate or table having a tubular shank extending downwardly into a boss formed on the forward side of the base plate, the shank inclosinga stiff spring which acts to maintain the plate yieldingly in position below the delivery end of the chute. The end of the chute extends slightly past the rear edge of the anvil in order that a margin may be left on the envelop above chute and coeperate with the bevel of the anvil plate to direct an envelop to affixing position when inserted in the slot formed in the bowed out portion 93 of the casing.

In order to prevent the stamp strip from being worked out of the machine by im-- proper manipulation of the afiixing lever mechanism is provided for preventing the return of the lever to normal position before it has completed substantially its entire stroke and severed a stamp from the strip. As shown herein, this result is effected by providing the affixing lever with a pivoted crank arm 85 having a pin 86 projecting therefrom and by arranging a catch to hold said pin from reverse movement except after the full stroke of the affixing lever. To this end, the pin 86 is guided into a notch in the inner end of a stud 88, see Figs. 6 and 8, by a spring 89 during the operating movement of the lever 50, the notch thereupon acting to prevent upward movement of the pin. When the lever 50 is moved to the end of its stroke, however, the pin 86 is carried out of the notch and the spring 90, which acts on the crank arm 85, see Fig. 2, moves the latter rearwardly carrying the pin 86 under the stud 88 into a guideway formed in the standard 87. The lever 50 is then free to move upwardly, the pin 86 traversing the guideway and displacing the upper end of the spring 89 in reaching its initial position.

The recording disk 98, to which reference has already been made, is rotatably mounted on a spindle projecting forwardly from a portion of the standard 1%- and is turned one step at a time, as a stamp is fed to the anvil, by the worm 57 on the feed roller shaft 55. The disk is suitably graduated to indicats the number of stamps affixed or the number remaining in the roll and may be inspected through a window (not shown) providedin the front of the casing.

In order to lock the aifixing lever automatically when the stamp strip has become exhausted a stop arm 95 having an abutment 96 is mounted on a stud projecting forvardly from the standard 67 and a spring 92 is connected therewith in such a manner as to tend to draw the abutment into position under the aflixing lever and prevent its operative movement. The stop arm, however, is normally maintained in inoperative position by a ring 97 attached to the back of the disk 98 and is permitted to act only when the disk has been rotated sufiiciently to bring an opening in the ring into alinement with a pin in the stop arm as shown in Fig. 7. E locating the opening in the ring opposite the 500 mark of the disk the ing lever will be locked when the five hundredth stamp has been delivered.

A manually operable locking pin 91 is also provided in order to prevent accidental depression of the affixing lever. This pin is slidingh mounted in one side of the casing and adapted to be held in one of two positions by a spring detent shown in Fig. 3. When the pin 91 is in its outer position the lever 50 is free to move. When the pin is pushed into the casing it passes just beneath the neck of the affixing lever, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 52, and positively prevents it from being depressed.

It will be noted that the slot through which the envelop is presented to the anvil is so narrow that it is impossible to insert an instrument or the fingers and grasp a stamp to extract it before the affixing operation.

The present invention has been described as embodied in a machine for afliXing postage stamps but it will be apparent that many of its features are of general application to the machines for handling or atfixing other adhesive sheet material and the following claims should be correspondingly construed.

Having now described my invention in a ing, in combination, a stamp aflixing device,

means for feeding a strip of stamps thereto, and a chute for said strip leading toward said afiixing device, a portion thereof having a width less than that of the strip.

3. A machine of the class describedhaving, in combination, a stamp aflixing device, a holder for a strip of stamps, a chute, a roller for feeding the strip from the holder to the chute, said chute having a gradually decreasing width whereby the strip may be transversely curved in passing therethrough.

4. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a reel for a gummed strip, feeding means for the strip, a moistening device movable in a path adjacent to the gummed side of the strip, and means for transversely curving said strip at a point in line with the path of said moistening device.

5. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a reel for a gummed strip, feeding means for the strip, a moistening device disposed adjacent to the gummed side of the strip, and means for engaging the edges of the strip near said moistening device and bowing the strip at its center away from said device.

6. A machine of the class described having, in combination, cutting blades, means for feeding a gummed strip to the blades,

a strip moistening device located between the feedingmeans and the blades, and means to bow the strip away from that blade which acts on the gummed side.

7. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a stationary shear blade, a movable blade coiiperating therewith, means to feed a gummed strip thereto, a strip moistening device located between the feeding means and the blades, and means for bowing the center of the strip away from the stationary blade.

8. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a base plate, a holder for a roll of stamps supported thereon, moistening means for the stamps, and a projecting rib on said base plate disposed between said holder and said moistening means.

9. A machine the ing, in combination, a base plate, a stamp reel, a moistening device for the stamps, a

class described havv well for said moistening device formed in said base plate, and a dam disposed between said reel and well.

10. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a stamp afiixing device, frictional means for feeding a strip of stamps, and a positively acting device for limiting the extent of the feeding movement imparted to the strip, said device comprising a transversely extending member, and a plurality of loose pins disposed therein at irregular intervals.

11. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a stamp affixing device, an arresting device for a. strip of stamps comprising a movable arm having a series of pairs of vertically disposed apertures, a

retaining portion in alinement therewith,

and a pin movably mounted in each pair of apertures.

12. A machine of the class described having, in combination, strip feeding means, an arresting device for said strip normally holding the same at rest, an affixing lever, and means to render the arresting device inoperative during the initial part of the movement of the afiixing lever.

13. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a holder for a roll of stamps, an aflixing lever, means for feeding the strip of stamps from the roll to aflixing position, and a moistener and an arresting device both controlled by the movement of the afixing lever.

14:. machine of the class described having, in combination, an aiiixing lever, a movable arresting device for a strip of stamps, and connections between said lever and arresting device whereby movement of the lever in one direction moves said device into operative relation with the strip and movement in the other direction yieldingly mo es said device into inoperative relation with the strip.

15. A machine of the class-described having, in combination, an ai'iixing lever, means for feeding stamps successively to affixing position, an indicator arranged to record the number of stamps so fed, and means for automatically locking said affixing lever when the indicator has reached a predetermined position.

16. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a holder for a roll of stamps, afiixing devices, a well located between said holder and affixing devices, a chute extending across and above said well, a moistening device operating between said well and chute, and shields extending from said well to the chute on either side of the path of the moistener.

17. A machine of the class described having, in combination, affixing means, and a chute comprising a bottom plate 34 having rib formed thereon, a top plate 44, and another plate 42 having a horizontal portion and vertical sides which support said chute.

18. A machine of the class described having, in combination, affixing means, strip feedin means, and a moistening device for moistening the strip acted upon by the strip feeding means, comprising an arm 73 having parallel sections bent in opposite directions and a wick retained between said sections.

19. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pivoted affixing lever, a pin 86 carried thereby, a member having a notch, means for guiding said pin into the notch on the operating stroke of the affixing lever, said notch thereafter preventing return movement of the pin and aflixing lever.

20. machine of the class described having, in combination, an aflixing lever, a holder for stamps in strip form, mechanism for feeding stamps to afiixing position when the lever is operated, and means acting automatically when the supply of stamps is exhausted to lock said lever.

in testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

LIONE G. H. PALMER. l/Vitnesses H. W. KENWAY, C. F. BowERs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

